Head Of Operation jobs in United Kingdom

Department: Platform Engineering

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Milton Keynes

Compensation: £70,000 - £80,000 / year

About Kinetic

Kinetic was founded in 1998 with one aim: to develop the most innovative software to help university accommodation and conferencing teams deliver the best student and customer experiences possible.

Fast forward 25 years, and we are now the technology partner of choice to the worlds\' leading universities, colleges and accommodation providers. We are ranked #1 on the APUC framework for student accommodation management, conferencing and events management, and multifunctional management systems. Our big hairy audacious goal (BHAG) is to achieve £50m net revenue by 2032 and for every person in a university to experience a Kinetic product.

We supply mission-critical software for over 350 customers worldwide, and we are trusted partners to over 80% of universities in the UK!

Since 2015, Kinetic has been part of the Volaris Group. Volaris help strengthen and grow vertical market software companies so, like Kinetic, they become leaders in their industry.

As the Cloud Operations Team Leader, you will be responsible for the day-to-day management of our cloud environment, ensuring performance, availability, and security. You’ll lead a team of engineers, drive automation and governance best practices, and support the development teams through robust CI/CD infrastructure.

This is a hands-on leadership role that balances strategic vision with technical execution.

• Oversee day-to-day cloud operations, including monitoring, incident response, troubleshooting and optimisation
• Lead & manage both short & long term project planning (Agile, Sprints, Iteration Planning)
• Develop and implement cloud governance, security and compliance policies & procedures
• 3+ years of experience in at least one cloud platform (AWS)
• Drive automation and infrastructure-as-code improvements using Terraform and Ansible and an AI first approach.
• Collaborate with development teams to support CI/CD pipelines.
• Knowledge of cloud cost optimisation strategies and monitoring tools (FinOps)
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities for cloud engineers

• 3+ years of hands-on experience with AWS.
• Strong knowledge of IaC and configuration management tools
• Proven experience leading cross-functional teams and managing cloud infrastructure projects.
• Proficiency in cloud monitoring, alerting, and performance tuning.
• Solid understanding of cloud security, governance, and compliance best practices.
• Experience with CI/CD tools and supporting development workflows.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong knowledge of Terraform, Ansible, GitHub & Web Application Firewalls.

Nice to have experience:

• SQL Server
• Windows Server
• Active Directory
• DNS
• Remote Desktop Services
• IIS / Nginx
• Linux Server
• IDS/IPS
• PowerShell & Bash
• Serverless technologies (AWS Lambda, Elastic Containers)
• Agentic and Generative AI especially applied to Infrastructure as Code (IAC)
• #LI-NS1

At Kinetic, we believe work should come with rewards that make a real difference. Here’s just a taste of what you can expect when you join us:

• 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays) - with extra days the longer you’re with us
• Two paid wellbeing days each year, with a budget to enjoy some time out with someone important to you
• Enhanced pension contributions to support your future
• Two paid days a year to give back through volunteering, charity work, or sustainability projects with our Green Team
• Salary sacrifice schemes for electric vehicles and cycle-to-work
• 24/7 access to our Employee Assistance Programme for confidential advice and support
• A full annual health check to keep you at your best
• A flexible benefits platform - from life assurance and learning opportunities to retail discounts and cinema tickets
• A genuine people-first culture where your growth and wellbeing come first
• Performance-related bonus scheme to reward your contribution
• Regular socials - from team get-togethers to all-company celebrations, with each department owning a budget for their events
• The opportunity to attend group conferences, away days and learning forums both in the UK and abroad - network with other talent

We’ve created a welcoming office environment, with well-stocked kitchens offering free breakfast, fresh fruit, hot and cold drinks, and a range of tuck shop goodies to keep you fuelled throughout the day.

Kinetic is an equal opportunity employer, fostering diversity and committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.